Coast church bus ferrying mourners turned back in Meru County

Thirty-one mourners aboard a church bus that from Coast were Friday morning turned back some 40 kilometres to their destination in Meru county.

Meru County Commissioner Allan Machari said the bus belonging to the Malindi Methodist Church was intercepted at Keeria market near the Tharaka Nithi- Meru border at around midnight Thursday.

The passengers were accompanying the body of one Faith Mwende who was to be buried in Kianjai, Tigania West.

The police officers who intercepted the bus offered the brother to the deceased a lift in their land cruiser which accompanied them to the final resting place.

"Only one passenger was allowed to accompany the body to its destination while the bus and other passengers were handed over to the Tharaka Nithi security team for escort out of the county," said the commissioner. 

According to Machari, security officials were apprehensive that many people are taking advantage of such burials to move out of high infection areas hence endangering other Kenyans.

Last week, another bus from the coast with 33 passengers was intercepted at the Keeria road block while headed to burial in Meru. Some of the passengers were put under quarantine in Meru County.